Sunday, April 8, 2012

Free-spirited Annie
Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet,
as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San
Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to
class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their
friendship.

A decade later, Annie
bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful
secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion
prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur
opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk
losing everything.

Debut author Meg Donohue has created a story that almost all
women will fall in love with. There are cupcakes, estranged childhood friends,
a wedding, and some family drama. What’s not to love? I thoroughly enjoyed
reading How to Eat a Cupcake.

I really liked that the perspective switched between Annie
and Julia. This allowed me to really know how each woman was feeling about
their situation. I never felt like I was reading too much about one or that it
changed too often. Donohue had the chapters end at a natural point and I had no
problem easing into the mindset of the other character at the beginning of the
next chapter. I did find that I felt a little more connected to Annie. I’m not
sure if that’s because she’s the first character I met or because I just
related more to her. That’s not to say I didn’t like Julia, because I did, but I
would be inclined to say that this is Annie’s story more than Julia’s.

The title and cover (so cute!) of this novel hint at
something light and sweet (both literally and figuratively) but Donohue does a
magnificent job of telling a story that has a hint of danger to it without
overpowering the main story – two women becoming friends again after a decade
of estrangement. I had a sense of foreboding the entire time I was reading this
book and it was done in a fantastic way. I knew Donohue would reveal all when
the time was right so I was able to sit back and let the story wash over me and
that meant enjoying the lighthearted moments as they emerged.

Even with the feeling that there was a terrible secret
hidden in the depths of Annie’s and Julia’s pasts, the book was still funny. In
fact, it had me giggling after just the first page. Part of that was because
Annie was a naturally funny character and she was described as such by other
characters multiple times throughout the novel. Take this exchange with Annie
and the St. Clairs’ maid on page two:

“Oh,” she said. “You’re
here with the cupcakes.”

“That’s right. I’m
here with the cupcakes. They brought me as their plus one. I’m a lucky girl!”

So that may only be funny to me, but it made me smile and it
immediately made me look forward to the rest of the book.

I highly recommend How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue. You’ll definitely laugh and you may cry
but you’ll be left with a beautifully told story and many characters who will
stick with you well after you’ve turned the last page.Thank you to HarperCollins for our review copy! All opinions are our own.Connect with Meg Donahue:Website FacebookTwitter